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A Guide to Onions

Our onion primer will help you choose the right type for every recipe.

Aug 1, 2008

Annabelle Breakey

Did you know there were two categories? The first, fresh onions, have thin, light-colored skin and a high water content. They are milder than the second category, storage onions, which have an intense flavor and are best used in dishes that require longer cooking time. Keep them in a cool, well-ventilated place, and they last for up to a month.

FRESH ONIONS

1. Knob or Spring Typically sold in bunches, these have rounded white bulb bottoms and thick, firmly attached green stems. Slice or quarter them and use in stir-fries.

2. Green Sometimes labeled as scallions, these have a white base that has not fully developed into a bulb and long, straight, bright-green leaves. They are good in salads.

3. Sweet These are hybrids named for the areas where they were developed, such as Vidalia (GA), Maui (HI), Walla Walla (WA), and Texas Spring Sweet. Mild and creamy, sweet onions are best eaten raw in salads or sandwiches.

STORAGE ONIONS

4. Yellow Harvested in the fall and stored in sheds for year-round sale, these are the most familiar onions in the supermarket. (If you see green sprouts or soft spots, don't buy.) The large yellow variety is often marketed as Spanish onion. Use it for onion soup and fried onion rings.

5. Pearl These marble-size onions are sweet and tangy in flavor, with papery skins that match their color (yellow, white, or red). To remove skin, drop in boiling water for a minute; pinch root end and skin will slip off.

6. Red Often called Bermuda onions, these have papery red skins and are sweeter and milder than yellow onions. Cut up raw, they add a nice jolt of color to salsas and relishes.

7. White These onions are used in classic Mexican cooking. They are slightly sweeter than yellow onions when raw but very similar in taste when cooked.

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